Review: Every
once in a while you come across a film that attaches itself so much to
an area, or a place in time that it almost overwhelms the film itself
when it is viewed years later. That is not necessarily a bad thing, and
as a matter of fact, it's quite entertaining when it's a film like the
one we have here. So rare that it could have been considered an almost
"lost" film despite it's numerous stars among the cast, "Massage Parlor
Murders" has been rescued from obscurity by those great folks at Vinegar
Syndrome.

There's a maniac loose in 1974 New York City killing
off the girls who work at the massage parlors there. It's up to a pair
of increasingly frustrated cops to find out who the killer is before the
body count gets any higher. A simple plot. Almost too simple, but
it's carried out in a rough giallo style that has surgeons gloves
replacing the classic black gloves of that genre. It turns out to be
quite the mystery for the cops, and the viewer as well as we are only
given one clue to go by, and that little bit of information is never
expanded on as the film unfolds. there's lots of topless females, and
fun dialog to keep the pace going though. The best part of the film
has to be the New York City locations. It was filmed around 42nd street,
and there are several scenes that have one of our heroes walking
aimlessly among all the movie houses and grindhouse cinema palaces
talking to himself. Whatever he's talking about I never heard, because I
was too interested in trying to read all of the movies playing back in
1974. There's also a pretty cool car chase that my attention was
slightly taken away from realizing that this was the same area that the
original Blues Brothers movie filmed one of their great car
chases some time later.

Then comes the cast. You'll find it hard
to believe that this many people were in a film that was almost lost to
us on any home viewing format. Sandra Peabody (Last House On The Left)
has a pretty substantial role in the film. George Dzundza (The Deer
Hunter) has a cameo in one of his earliest roles, and Brother Theodore
(The 'Burbs) even has a scene in the film. All of these things I've
mentioned equals cult classic, and the experts at Vinegar Syndrome has
brought this film back to life for the people who love exploitation
flicks.

Massage Parlor Murders is presented here in an excellent
widescreen print, and also has great sound for such a rare film. This
BD/DVD combo even comes with extras! We get theatrical trailers and
outtakes, and the package comes with an 8 page booklet detailing the
films inception and the director behind it. As a last little treat, you
get a replica "timer" card from the first reel of
the film. A nice little collectable to keep with this very sweet
package.

If you're looking for some rare exploitation action, and
you want top quality, you need to pick up Vinegar Syndrome's Massage
Parlor Murders. You will not be disappointed.